 George
Shilling reviews:
TL
Audio VTC
The
TL Audio VTC (Valve Technology Console) has been two years in
development with designer David Kempson. The ex-Neve project leader
was also responsible for the hugely successful (and recently
upgraded) TL Audio Classic Valve series. The long-standing
association with Tony Larking Professional Audio Sales started with
Kempson designing the EQ-1 for Larking. Kempson now runs a factory
employing 14 people designing and manufacturing TL Audio outboard
units and HHB-badged versions for US distribution.
The
VTC came about partly because certain TL Audio customers expressed a
desire for a console with similar sound quality to the famous
outboard modules. Also, the demand for used classic consoles such as
vintage Neves increases as their availability inevitably decreases,
creating an obvious niche for a desk such as this. And surely a
brand-new desk, without all the foibles, unreliability and
inevitable irritating customisations of a twenty- or thirty-year-old
desk, is very appealing. Many digital-based facilities will
undoubtedly see the attraction of a console featuring valve
circuitry. The first production VTC, a 32-channel model, has been
sold to UFO Studios in Berlin. I was lucky enough to have a chance
to try it before it was shipped.
Buy recording gear in our shop.
See the TL Audio VTC in our Chris Tsangarides video interview.
An
eight-buss design, the VTC is available in sizes from 16 to 56
channels, extendable in banks of eight channels. However, unlike the
typical project studio 8-buss console, each channel is a separate
module, conventionally mounted with two edge connectors. This in
itself qualifies the console as professional and ‘proper’. VTCs
can be extended at a later date with additional channel banks. Each
channel includes three vertically mounted ribbon-interconnected
PCBs, only a few inches deep, featuring an array of socketed chips
and other components. There are no valves here though. The twin
triode for each channel is mounted vertically on a ceramic base in
the rear section behind the top of the channel strips. There is a
valve on every microphone amplifier, monitor return and buss
amplifier (including the mix busses). The surface is gently raked
when the console is sat level on the (optional) sturdy stand, which
gives plenty of knee-space underneath, due to the particularly
shallow channel boards. The top panel of each channel bank can be
removed to access the calibration trim-pots for each valve. The
control surface is unsurprisingly very cool, and even the section
containing the valves is only mildly warm, despite the valves
operation at around 200 volts stabilised DC. Plenty of venting
around this area helps, and also provides the operator with a
glimpse of the glowing valves. Although the desk itself is cool, the
remote power supply – a 3U affair for the 32-channel desk I tried
– runs extremely hot.
The
VTC looks terrific, with heavy American oak side cheeks and front
trim lending the desk a classic appearance, reminiscent of old Neves
and Tridents. The control surface is a smart uniform deep blue,
similar to that of the Classic Valve outboard range. All knobs are
large and pleasantly damped, having an ‘oily’ feel to them. They
are secured by collet nut, so no screw or nut is visible with the
cap on, and a sensible variation of cap colours guides the user
around the channel. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the
pushbuttons, whose uniform grey colour makes things slightly
confusing, especially alongside the fader where there is a long row
of switches. To a newcomer it is not immediately clear whether
legending refers to the button above or the one below. The other
problem with the buttons is that very few are accompanied by an LED,
and their travel is quite shallow, so one cannot immediately spot
which buttons are depressed. This could potentially lead to disaster
or embarrassment, especially with the routing buttons. Generally,
though, the layout is spacious and uncluttered, bucking the trend of
other modern consoles that cram many small controls into a small
area.
The
Input section of each channel features a preamplifier similar to
that of the outboard PA-1. A single Gain knob controls microphone
and line gain, (centre détented for Line), a button marked LINE
switches these inputs. Switches for Phase and 48V phantom power
sensibly reside here. A useful 90Hz high pass filter can be switched
in here, the same as that on the C-1, (12dB per octave). A FLIP
button effectively reverses the faders, but the small fader cannot
be routed to the eight busses. A monitor trim allows +/-20dB of gain
for the monitor input, so all sorts of devices can be interfaced.
There are also internal jumpers to allow +4 or –10dB operating
levels. Each channel features eight Auxiliary Sends. Sends 1-4
feature individual On buttons and rotary pots. Sends 1 and 2 are
always postfade. Sends 3 and 4 can be switched to route to send
outputs 5 and 6 or Mix B (the Monitors’ mix buss), and can be
switched pre- or post-fade. Sends 7 and 8 are controlled by a single
Level pot and a Panpot, and are switchable pre- or post-fade, and
routable to Mix B. All in all, this is a very flexible system, and
in combination with the central section Phones routing (more of
which later), a very well thought-out arrangement.
The
EQ section is arranged below the Aux send section and is within easy
reach of the seated engineer. This is a four-band EQ with two fully
parametric mids and fixed shelving High and Low frequency sections
at 12kHz and 80Hz respectively, each with up to 15dB gain or cut.
All Gain knobs are centre-détented. The parametric EQ bands are
variable between half-octave and five-octave bandwidths, enabling
rich wah-wah sweeping or gentle sound shaping. High Mid ranges from
an indicated 500Hz right up to 18kHz. Low Mid is indicated from 50Hz
to 2kHz. Small boosts or cuts are easy to achieve, as the gain is
very gentle during the first 60 degrees or so. At maximum 15dB boost
however, there is real power. I found the whole character of the EQ
remarkably forgiving, and a joy to use.
The
monitor section includes a 60mm fader which routes to Mix B. This
stereo buss can be routed to the main Left and Right outputs or
sourced from its own dedicated outputs. Unlike the knobs, all faders
are undamped and extremely light in operation, making the ends of
fades tricky. The monitor section includes switches to enable either
the two EQ mid-bands or the HF and LF bands (or both) to operate on
the monitor section instead of the channel – a very useful
feature. Oddly, these sections switch on in the monitor path
irrespective of the status of the EQ On button. There is also a
button marked SRCE, which takes the channel source and feeds it to
the monitor fader as well. The square Mute buttons on both channel
and monitor are pleasant to operate, illuminating red when muted.
Both channel and monitor faders are accompanied by Solo buttons with
accompanying LED. PFL is the default mode, but the centre section
features a Solo-In-Place button. In this mode, Monitor and Channel
mute buttons are linked, so this is really only useful when mixing.
Incidentally, on the review model there were no visible channel
numbers, but I was assured they would be printed on the channel mute
buttons and a scribble strip below the large channel faders. Both
faders are accompanied by a panpot with centre détente, and green
Signal and red Peak LEDs. These light at –30dB and +18dB
respectively. With headroom of +26dB these are sensibly set, and
extremely useful, as channel meters are not provided as standard.
These will be optional: a 16 segment LED bargraph for each channel,
globally switchable between tape out and tape return, sitting atop
the rear of the mixer. Each bank is provided with a 25-pin DL socket
for their connection. The meters that are provided as standard are
beautiful rear-illuminated vintage-style VUs, one for each buss, and
two for the main output. These look similar to those found on
1960’s EMI TG series desks and look superb, with arrow-headed
needle pointers. A tiny red peak LED accompanies each meter, and the
centre section additionally features Power and Solo LEDs.
A
routing buttons for each pair of busses accompanies the channel
fader. By default, each channel’s individual output works as a
direct tape track output. However, by pressing down the Buss button,
the output is sourced from the related buss 1 to 8. For example,
buss 1 will also feed the tape outputs of channels 9, 17 and 25 if
those channels’ Buss buttons are pressed. There is also a L/R
routing button, which sends the channel signal (postfade) to the
main outputs.
Although
automation is not standard, both monitor and channel faders are
accompanied by dedicated automation buttons. A momentary Status
button and a latching Auto button are in place, ready for whatever
system the customer would like to order: there is no ‘in-house’
automation available as yet. VCAs are not standard but faders simply
plug in, so moving faders are an attractive possibility. With
automation on both monitors and channels a huge amount of
flexibility is possible. Incidentally, research is presently taking
place into the possibility of a desk with digital control of all
functions.
The
centre section features individual master Gains, Mute and AFL
buttons for the Auxiliary Sends. There are a generous six stereo
returns, each featuring a balance control which becomes a panpot if
only the left input is connected. There is a fader for each return,
along with AFL and Mute switches. These are also accompanied with
routing to the two Phones busses. An Oscillator sends to all busses
and main outputs, selectable between 1kHz or 10kHz. A socket is
provided for a talkback microphone, which can be routed to tape,
studio, and the two Phones circuits, with one overall level control.
Pressing Talkback also dims control room level, possibly slightly
too much. The two Phones circuits are wonderfully flexible, enabling
stereo foldback, which can be sourced from any (or all) of the
following: Control Room, Mix B, Aux 3 and 4, Aux 7 and 8 and Ext.
The
Control Room monitoring section features a PFL trim +/-20dB, a
switch for Alt Loudspeakers and a Mono button. Monitoring can be
sourced from the main L/R buss, Mix B, either of two 2-track inputs
or an External stereo input. The large volume knob has a pleasant
feel. Adjacent is the Studio monitor section, with similar sourcing
options. This section can usefully be set to follow Control Room
selection.
Full-length
faders are provided for Buss masters. They can be switched On to
route to the main buss and Soloed. Automation buttons accompany the
Master fader.
On
the review model all connections were rear-mounted. XLRs are
provided for Microphone inputs and Main Outputs. Most other
connectors are balanced TRS jacks. These are provided for Line and
Monitor input, Channel (tape) output (confusingly labelled DI/Group)
and Return inputs. Inserts are unbalanced Tip-send Ring-return
Sleeve-ground jacks, and Aux send outputs are unbalanced. An
internal Mosses and Mitchell bantam patchbay is optional.
Alternatively, the console can be supplied with flying leads for
connection to an external patchbay. In this case, just the XLR
microphone inputs are left on the back.
Sound
quality is excellent: -1dB 10Hz-40kHz is quoted, and the low-end
sounds particularly good. Distortion from channel to buss to L/R is
claimed as typically 0.017% across all frequencies. Whilst noise is
acceptable, this is probably not the quietest desk in the world.
However, a warm and open sound with great coherence is the VTC’s
strongest attribute. It is very flexible and simple to use. Solidly
built in the finest traditions of British console design, it seems
that TL Audio have identified a gap in the market and intend to
exploit the situation to their best ability. Although significantly
more expensive than most 8-buss desks, the competitive pricing makes
one wonder how the big boys justify their stately-home-sized prices.
And this is the only valve console on the market. Call me
predictable, but I want one…
Buy the Joe Meek TwinQ Studio Channel Strip in our shop.
Reproduced
with kind permission from www.George.Shilling.Com. Copyright ©1997
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